This GE Alarm clock will wake the consumer up, so they can buy it...
Written: Jun 17 '03 (Updated Aug 28 '06)
|
Product Rating:
|
|
| Durability: |
 |
|
| Sound: |
 |
|
|
Pros: Has two alarms, picks up most radio stations easy to read
Cons: A little pricey, does not pick up ALL radio stations
The Bottom Line: This clock/radio is excellent. Both alarms provide for easy setting and the features are great.
|
|
|
| ace3502's Full Review: General Electric 7-4894 Clock Radio |
I purchased this alarm clock in September of 2002 and honestly I can say it is one of the best alarm clocks I have ever had.
I went to the store with the intention of getting a very simple, cheap, easy to use clock and instead I spent a few more dollars than I expected and came out with a durable, reliable (somewhat hard to get used to) contraption which I ended up being very satisfied with.
There are a few buttons on the top of the clock which I will explain further, but to start out they are: Sleep, Cancel, and the 1 and 2 buttons on the left, SNOOZE and the sliding dial in the middle, finally (( and )) which for this review will denote left and right arrows used to adjust times, along with Nap and Weekend Off on the right.
Very conveniently the clock has an auto set feature which, when you first plug the clock in, it automatically sets the time and day for you. The clock also has a space in the bottom for two AA batteries, which keep the time for you if the power goes out so you will not be left in the dark and miss your alarm the morning after a power outage.
Ok, this clock has something I have never seen before, two adjustable alarm times. I know it may not be new but it is new to me and I love it.
Here's what you would do to set your alarm. The steps may seem complicated at first but it is very easy to get used to.
On the top of the clock there are two buttons with the numbers 1 and 2 on top of them which turn on the first and second alarm and there is a sliding button which has three settings: Lock - which locks the set alarm times so they will not be accidentally adjusted, 1 - Which adjusts the first alarm time, and 2 - Which adjusts the second alarm time. To set the first alarm, you slide the dial on the top over to Wake 1 which lets the alarm time appear on the clear, easy to read, digital face of the clock. You simply press the (( or the )) buttons on the top of the clock to adjust the time, up or down, and set it to whatever the desired wake up time is. When you are finished you slide the dial to Lock which displays the current time. This is where the buttons with the numbers 1 and 2 on them come into play. If you press either of them once, you turn the alarm on and it will wake you up with the standard beeping alarm sound. If you press either of them a second time you then will wake up to whatever radio station you set the alarm to.
There is also a Cancel button next to the 1 and 2 buttons, which you press to turn off the alarm.
I know that may sound complicated but trust me, when you have the alarm in front of you it is very easy to do. The dual alarms are very helpful for anyone who has to wake up at different times on different days. For example I wake up at 8am for my first job on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and wake up at 1045am for my second job on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday. Rather than having to change the alarm time every night to accommodate for the next day, I simply turn on alarm 1 for my 8am job and alarm 2 for my 1045 job. Very simple and convenient.
The clock also has a SLEEP button, which is good for people like me who like to listen to music before they go to bed. You hold down the sleep button and the default time is 59 minutes, which means the radio station you have it set on will be on for you to listen to and turn off on its own in 59 minutes. You can adjust this time to as high as 2 hours or as little as one minute, and it will keep your time remembered. Mine is set to 15 minutes and usually, most nights before I go to bed I simply press the sleep button and am serenaded to sleep for 15 minutes and do not have to worry about turning it off.
One very unique feature this clock/radio has is a NAP button. If you are like me, constantly tired and looking for little power naps, this button is perfect. Rather than resetting your alarm to go off in 30 minutes or how ever long you want to nap for, you simply press the NAP button, adjust the time (which goes in 10 minute increments for as little as a 10 minute nap or as long as a 2 hour nap) and let the button go and go to sleep. In 20 minutes or however long you set it for, the alarm will go off with the generic alarm beep. Note that the radio wake up is not available for the Nap button. Instead the generic beeping alarm will sound when the time is up.
One feature I use and am EXTREMELY pleased with is the SNOOZE button. :) I know it may sound bad but I am a frequent snoozer. This clock has an adjustable snooze time which is wonderful. You simply hold down the SNOOZE button and adjust the number of minutes you want between each snooze with the (( or )) buttons.
The digital display of the clock is large, bright, and easy to read. Also it says what day it is underneath the time for those of us who need a small reminder in the morning.
There is also an optional WEEKEND CANCEL button which lets you turn off the alarm for the weekend. This is useful for people who have jobs Monday through Friday and do not have to get up on the weekends. All they have to do is turn on the alarm after they first set it and leave it on and they do not have to shut the alarm off on Friday. It will go off every weekday and, on the weekend, as long as the WEEKEND CANCEL button is on the alarm WILL NOT go off on the weekend and let you sleep in. This is most useful for people with very regular schedules. This feature can also be turned off for anyone who needs set the alarm for a weekend.
The radio picks up most local radio stations. I am from Boston and for anyone who is familiar with the area; it can pick up Kiss 108, Magic 106.7, and Mix 98.5 and most others. The only radio stations it has trouble picking up that I have seen are Jammin' 94.5 and Hot 97.7. The radio also picks up most AM stations for talk radio if that is your preference. The tuning dial and the volume dial are very large and easy to adjust.
The clock is very durable. I have transported it many times, banged it a few times and even dropped it once and even after all of this abuse, it still works just fine.
Overall I am extremely satisfied with this product. I would strongly recommend this product to anyone who is looking for a new alarm clock. The features are wonderful and make you life just that much easier. It is very versatile and like I said the features help conform to peoples many different sleep habits.
Please Take A Look At My Other Electronics Reviews:
Car Stereo - JVC KD S550
Cell Phone - LG VX 9800
Cordless Phone - GE 27990
Cordless Phone - Vtech VT-1922
DVD Player - Panasonic-RV300
DVD Player - Toshiba-SD2109
Home Stereo - Aiwa NSX-115
© Copyright 2003 - ace3502
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 17.00
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
ace3502
|
 in Sports & Outdoors |
|
Member: Andrew
Location: Boston, Massachusetts
Reviews written: 108
Trusted by: 245 members
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.